The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers

The Autobiography of Henry VIII With Notes by His Fool Will Somers This is the story of England s most famous and notorious king Henry was a charismatic ardent and brash young lover who married six times a scholar with a deep love of poetry and music an energetic

Title: The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers

Author: Margaret George

ISBN: 9780312194390

Page: 167

Format: Paperback

This is the story of England s most famous, and notorious, king.Henry was a charismatic, ardent and brash young lover who married six times a scholar with a deep love of poetry and music an energetic hunter who loved the outdoors a monarch whose lack of a male heir haunted him incessantly and a ruthless leader who would stop at nothing to achieve his desires His mThis is the story of England s most famous, and notorious, king.Henry was a charismatic, ardent and brash young lover who married six times a scholar with a deep love of poetry and music an energetic hunter who loved the outdoors a monarch whose lack of a male heir haunted him incessantly and a ruthless leader who would stop at nothing to achieve his desires His monumental decision to split from Rome and the Catholic Church was one that would forever shape the religious and political landscape of Britain.Combining magnificent storytelling with an extraordinary grasp of the pleasures and perils of power, Margaret George delivers a vivid portrait of Henry VIII and Tudor England and the powerhouse of players on its stage Thomas Cromwell, Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More and Anne Boleyn It is also a narrative told from an original perspective Margaret George writes from the King s point of view, injecting irreverent comments from Will Somers Henry s jester and confidant.

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Posted by:Margaret George
Published :2019-09-24T08:27:07+00:00

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About "Margaret George"

Margaret George

Margaret George is a rolling stone who has lived in many places, beginning her traveling at the age of four when her father joined the U.S diplomatic service and was posted to a consulate in Taiwan The family traveled on a freighter named after Ulysses son Telemachus that took thirty days to reach Taiwan, where they spent two years Following that they lived in Tel Aviv right after the 1948 war, when it was relatively quiet , Bonn and Berlin during the spy and Cold War days before returning at the height of Elvis mania to Washington DC, where Margaret went to high school Margaret s first piece of published writing, at the age of thirteen, was a letter to TIME Magazine defending Elvis against his detractors Margaret has since been to Graceland But it was earlier in Israel that Margaret, an avid reader, began writing novels to amuse herself when she ran out of books to read Interestingly, the subject of these was not what lay around her in the Middle East, but the American west, which she had never set foot in Now that she lives in the American Midwest she writes about the Middle East Clearly writing in her case followed Emily Dickinson s observation There is no frigate like a book and she used it to go to faraway places Now she has added another dimension to that travel by specializing in visiting times remote from herself.Neither of these horse sagas got published, but the ten year old author received an encouraging note from an editor at Grosset Dunlap, telling her she had a budding talent but should work on her spelling.It was also in Israel that Margaret started keeping land tortoises as pets, an interest which she still follows today She had a great affinity for animals and nature and that led her to a double major at Tufts University in English literature and biology Following that she received an MA in ecology from Stanford University one of the earliest departments to offer such a concentration Today she is active in environmental and animal conservation groups.Combining her interests led her to a position as a science writer at the National Cancer Institute National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland for four years.Her marriage at the end of that time meant moving, first to St Louis, then to Uppsala, Sweden, and then to Madison, Wisconsin, where she and her husband Paul have lived for than twenty years now They have one grown daughter who lives in California and is in graduate school.Through all this Margaret continued to write, albeit slowly and always on only one project at a time She wrote what she refers to as her Ayn Rand adventure novel in college and her Sex and the City novel in Washington DC It was in St Louis that she suddenly got the idea of writing a psycho biography of Henry VIII She had never seen such a thing done but became convinced the king was a victim of bad PR and she should rescue his good name Her background in science meant that only after thoroughly researching the literature and scholarship on Henry VIII would she embark on the novel itself She sought the guidance of a Tudor historian at Washington University for a reading list, and proceeded from there.It was actually fourteen years between her initial idea and the publication of The Autobiography of Henry VIII The book made an impression for several reasons first, because no one had ever written a novel sympathetic to the king before second, because it covered his entire life from before birth until after his death, making it almost a thousand pages long, and third, because it was so fact filled.

640 thoughts on “The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers”

The way I felt about this book was perhaps much like Henry VIII felt about one of his doomed wives At first I was entranced, captivated, under a spell of sorts I couldn t put the book down However, about halfway through the honeymoon was over so to speak , and I began to be annoyed at the little things This was perhaps not the match made in heaven that I thought it was Perhaps I had been led atray By the end there was nothing but the most urgent desire to be done with it let it die already, I m [...]

I m ashamed by how long this book took me to read, but my defense is that it s a big thick thing, over 900 pages long Not one you should pick up unless you re planning to be in it for the long haul and are genuinely interested in the subject matter.After years of seeing Henry portrayed as a fat, greedy slob whose only concern in life was to have a son, this book made a wonderful change Finally Henry gets a chance to defend himself Margaret George clearly put in a lot of work and research into co [...]

This is a very long but readable novel purporting to be the autobiography of Henry VIII, with commentary by his court fool It tracks the king s life from his earliest memory at the age of three until shortly before his death It is vividly told, and even though scenery and small details are mentioned with photographic accuracy for the reader s benefit, it is done so subtly that said reader doesn t really mind It gives us a glimpse into the innner life of someone often thought of as a monster who [...]

By the end, it was difficult to decide who is self absorbed the author or her subject.Margaret George said she wanted to give King Henry better PR She failed totally The plot was naturally given over to his various wives political schemes, but in 900 pages George really, really could have gone a little further than cliche the betrayed wife, the scheming bitch, the virtuous woman, the stupid slut, the ugly dog, and the useful nurse I find it intensely disturbing and frankly unbelievable that Cat [...]

Another flawlessly researched and written book by Margaret George I knew quite a bit about Henry before I read this, but it added a dimension that I hadn t expected to his character Years after reading it I traveled to England and was surprised what a celebrity he still is there Truthfully, though he s known for the outrageous elimination of his wives, we sometimes forget what an amazing effect he had on the progress of Great Britain by severing ties with Rome George represents him as a tortured [...]

932 pages You re probably thinking That s a lot of pages I admit I was a bit intimidated by the length of Margaret George s novel on Henry VIII However, I assure you, the length is less of an issue than the actual content of this gargantuan book.Disappointment arose quickly, as the beginning of The Autobiography of Henry VIII welcomed me with a very slow and dull start The first several chapters were drab recaps of the events of Henry s youth which lacked any emotion, excitement, or personal opi [...]

Review Superb pace and research Engaging and extremely readable Detailed, engrossing characters A window on historyFirst and foremost Margaret George is a superb historian and writer, she has the ability to make history alive and incredibly engaging This hefty book makes you feel like it opened a window into Tudor England and dropped you right in the midst of Henry s long and tumultuous reign, and the voyage is always exhilarating and unforgettable I did not always like Henry, I did not always a [...]

I m Henry VIII, I am, I m Henry VIII I am, I am Wow There s never a dull moment with old Henry Teenage King, always warring with France, cuts ties with Rome and changes the course of history just so he can get a divorce, six wives two have their heads lopped off, one dies in childbirth, one is too ugly, one won t provide him with a son tsk what was she thinking and the other gets to mop up his gangrenous leg until he dies Phew This is a fabulous book long, but so worth it Written from Henry s po [...]

Five stars does not feel like enough for this book It took me a little longer than usual to read the 932 pages, but I think that s because there were passages I re read over and over for their beauty My book is riddled with post its to mark quotes I didn t want to forget, and had I not already purchased this book before reading, I would have done so just to have those quotes at my fingertips whenever I wanted them It was that good I don t know why I m surprised because The Memoirs of Cleopatra i [...]

I really enjoyed looking at things from Henry s POV If i hadn t read any other historical fiction or biographies about the time I might be of the opinion that Harry was just a tragic figure cursed by run after run of bad luck However, I have read a lot about Henry s England That, and the fact that George uses Will Somer s notes as a warning not to believe all that Henry writes, and one can see that this journal of Henry s is rife with dissembling, rationalizing, and self deceit It is NEVER Henry [...]

After 172 pages I have decided to dump this.I do NOT enjoy reading it and I have given it a fair try I am often hesitant toward autobiographies, particularly when they are historical fiction An autobiography cannot, by definition, provide an impartial view on the events that occurred Margaret George is an author known for her thorough research, but in that which is not known she has made suppositions that I cannot accept In my mind it is very clear that Henry was motivated by power He was a king [...]

A huge book over 900 pages But worth every one We ve all read about Henry VIII and his six wives Dry, historical facts and events This book delves into what kind of man and king he may have been His fears, his strengths are discussed here in the form of a diary that has been discovered after his death and is being sent to an illegitimate daughter of Henry by his fool , Will Somers The word fool refers to someone who is permitted to speak plainly to the King or Queen To tell the truth without fea [...]

I ve been on a huge kick for historical ficton lately especailly the Tudors Henry VIII is the most amazing character in British history This book allows you to look a his life on a whole not just one portion of it.It talks of his youth His marriage to Katherine of Aragon Anne Bolyn alot and all his other wives I never really paid much attention to his life except for the well told tales with Anne Bolyn so it was great to get an over look at all his loves and loses.This book kinda drags on in cer [...]

Yep Finished a week, and I m listening to it again Book 6starsNarrator 6 starsThe best book I ve read this year I intend to write a review that is worthy of this grand book I encourage anyone interested in this historical masterpiece to buy this as an audiobook This is a novel that is made even compelling by outstanding the perchance of the narrator, It is rud that the author was the director of the audio performance

Henry Explains Himself Fictionally Much has been said about Henry VIII so what is his side of the story Why did he behead two of his 6 wives their associates relatives two of his closest friend advisors hundreds of alleged treasonists protestants whole monestaries full of monks Henry explains all this and .If you know the story of the Tudors, this will have you laughing out loud He looks at his daughter Mary dressed in black translating pious works and remarks how like her mother she is, just as [...]

This has to be the best way to learn about history read a fictional account of a particular subject This makes things interesting and educational.932 pages you have everything you could want to know about Henry VIII and what drove him to make the well known decisions He comes out of this book with many merits He may have made mistakes but everything he did, he did for the right reason.500 pages in and we are still on Katherine of Aragon But then again, he was married to her for 20 odd years so t [...]

This was the book that jolted my interest in the Royal line of Britain I went from Henry VIII to learning everything I could about the entire line and it all started with this marvelous work of fiction by Margaret George.

This was nothing short of phenomenal It was utterly amazing Being obsessed with Tudor England, I have read many a fiction and non fiction book depicting this maniac and will read many a But this one definitely goes in a league of its own The writing was EXCEPTIONAL If I didn t know better, I would ve thought I was reading Henry s true life memoirs The way he thought about each one of his wives, from his brother s intended, Katherine of Aragon I mean he really thought in the end that his first m [...]

Rarely do I tackle books this long but I really enjoyed all 932 pages All the way through the book was interesting and entertaining Certainly a fun way to learn about Henry VIII than some dry academic biography.

If you like historical fiction, you will LOVE this book The reader is lead to believe that it is fact than fiction because of the amount of research Margaret George did in preparing this book for publication She read and studied many books and period accounts check out the bibliography , as well as having visited England than once for the express purpose of researching the life and personality of Henry VIII during the 15 years it took her to write it No one had ever thought to try to get into [...]

The Autobiography of Henry VIII is the first novel published by esteemed historical fiction novelist Margaret George Although this book may seem like a real autobiography at first glance based on the title of course it s not how is that even possible , this novel is actually a fictional firsthand account of the life of Henry VIII, as told by his fool, Will Somers.Sitting at a very thick 960 pages, The Autobiography of Henry VIII may seem an overwhelming feat to some readers, especially those ske [...]

I really wanted to like this book, and I did for the most part I liked seeing Henry s relationship with Catherine of Aragon, because most of the time writers skip over their relationship to get to the Anne Boleyn drama and we are left to wonder why he married her in the first place I understand she did love him, but from Henry s POV, it seemed she was slightly obsessed with him, which I guess is okay, because it s coming from his mind, as delusional as it was Henry s relationship with Anne Boley [...]

I had been looking forward to reading this novelization of life of Henry VIII for quite some time With 932 pages it took a bit of effort for me to finish, especially because I never felt particularly drawn into this novel I did learn a lot about the early years of Henry s marriage to Katherine of Aragon and many other things which were interesting Unfortunately, I never got any sense of depth or realism from the historical figures as people, everyone came across as flat It almost felt as if Marg [...]

This book thrust me into what I now call my Tudor period The book is fiction, but loaded with historical facts I followed it with nearly half a dozen non fiction books about the Tudors It s hard to pick which one is the most interesting Henry VII, who was a soldier who won his right to the throne, and as a result, was a very hard man Henry VIII, one of history s most misunderstood men Thirty eight when he died, people That famous portrait you see of him he s about 36 Thirty six That s what hard [...]

Overall, I loved this book It was fascinating to read about the life of Henry VIII through his perspective Seeing it that way helped make sense of some of the decisions he made while King I thought everything surrounding the Boelyn drama was fantastic I loved the vivid descritions of the emotional roller coaster he seemed to be on for the majority of his life I could hardly put this book down during the first few hundred pages However, I admit I got a little stir crazy towards the end I could b [...]

I ve read than my fair share of Tudor historical fiction This, however, is the first I ve read told from Henry s perspective, which is a nice change of pace As a fictional character, you can t help feeling sympathy for the Boy who wasn t raised to be King, and yet became one at a young age with no mentorship or trusted guidance He was rash and impulsive, romantic and eager to please He was spoiled and indulged to the point of destruction.His wants contradicted one another He wanted both riches [...]

5 starsWhat a great book I really wished there were asides by Will Somers, though I enjoyed those immensely This is a brilliant work It was well written and researched It doesn t matter that I have read a great deal about King Henry VIII, I truly enjoyed this book It tells of Henry s life from his earliest memory through his last days from his point of view Of course, some of it had to be surmised, but it was fun reading to say the least I will continue to read Margaret George s books as she is [...]